There are many reasons to be worried about the bridge-leap the Obama
Administration has just undertaken in its war with Muammar Gaddafi. How
it will all end is just one of them.

Particularly concerning is the prospect that what we might call the
Gaddafi Precedent will be used in the not-too-distant future to justify
and threaten the use of U.S. military forces against an American ally:
Israel.

Here's how such a seemingly impossible scenario might eventuate: It
begins with the Palestinian Authority seeking a UN Security Council
resolution that would recognize its unilateral declaration of
statehood. Three top female officials in the Obama administration
reprise roles they played in the Council's recent action on Libya: U.S.
Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, a vehement critic of Israel, urges
that the United States support (or at least not veto) the Palestinians'
gambit. She is supported by the senior director for multilateral
affairs at the National Security Council, Samantha Power, who in the
past argued for landing a "mammoth force" of American troops to protect
the Palestinians from Israel. Ditto Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
whose unalloyed sympathy for the Palestinian cause dates back at least
to her days as First Lady.

This resolution enjoys the support of the other four veto-wielding
Security Council members - Russia, China, Britain and France - as well
as the all of the other non-permanent members except India, which joins
the United States in abstaining. As a result, it is adopted with
overwhelming support from what is known as the "international
community."

Accordingly, hard as it may be to believe given the United States'
longstanding role as Israel's principal ally and protector, Mr. Obama
acts, in accordance with the Gaddafi Precedent. He warns Israel that it
must immediately take steps to dismantle its unwanted presence inside
the internationally recognized State of Palestine, lest it face the
sort of U.S.-enabled "coalition" military measures now underway in
Libya. In this case, they would be aimed at neutralizing IDF forces on
the West Bank - and beyond, if necessary - in order to fulfill the
"will of the international community."

Of course, such steps would not result in the ostensibly desired
end-game, namely "two states living side by side in peace and
security." If the current attack on Libya entails the distinct
possibility of unintended (or at least unforeseen) consequences,
application of the Gaddafi Precedent to Israel seems certain to produce
a very different outcome than the two-state "solution": Under present
and foreseeable circumstances, it will unleash a new regional war, with
possible worldwide repercussions.